Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 33577 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 168(@200wpm)___ 134(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33577 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 168(@200wpm)___ 134(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
Tim lifted his cup again in invitation. “Let’s celebrate. Melissa and I are both excited now.” He winked at Melissa, who quickly held up her glass.
“Cheers!” Tami said and clinked her coffee drink with theirs. “There’s no way I could do this without you. Seriously.”
“Thank goodness. All those dogs would howl when we didn’t arrive with treats,” Melissa joked.
“That can’t happen. Now, who do I hire?” Tami asked, tapping the folder marked applications in front of her.
“How many people are you looking for?” Tim asked.
“At least one. Maybe two.”
“There was this girl at the supermarket. She loves dogs. I still drop by that store from time to time to grab a snack or a drink. Every time I talk to her, she tells me how much she’d love to get to do a job like mine. In a super sweet way. She reminds me of me—trapped in an awful job. I gave her a card. Did she ever call you? Her name is Debbie.”
“I did have someone call. That might have been her name, but the phone number was blocked. I couldn’t call her back. I’d love to talk to her.”
“I’ll take her an application and have her call you again,” Melissa said and put her hand out for a sheet. Tami opened her folder and pulled out an application for Melissa, as well as one of Tami’s cards.
Melissa looked down at the page in her hand and shivered. “I don’t know what I would have done when I lost my job. I’d still be back at that apartment.”
“With the rats,” Tim said with a grimace. “I drove past there on my way to get gas last week. There was an enormous banner on the front sign that said closed for remodeling.”
“What?” Melissa asked.
Both women turned to look at him in amazement. “You didn’t say anything?”
“I forgot. Sorry, my Daddies distracted me when I got home. I couldn’t text while I was driving,” Tim reminded them.
“Did it look like everyone had moved out?” Tami asked.
“It looked pretty deserted,” Tim said with a shrug.
“They must have had to move out fast. I bet it was condemned,” Tami suggested.
“I’m sorry for all the tenants who had to scramble to find new homes. Hopefully, they all ended up in a better place. Well, except for that jerk that threatened me,” Melissa said, and wrinkled her nose in disgust.
“Your car looks as good as new,” Tim said. “I saw it in the parking lot as I came in.”
“It’s better than new. Daddy put new tires on it and had a bunch of work done on it. I guess I hadn’t changed the oil for a while,” Melissa admitted.
“Ouch,” Tami said.
Melissa knew her friend had a very good idea what the punishment for that oversight had been. She nodded and rolled her eyes. “I won’t be in charge of my maintenance in the future.”
“Excellent!” Tim celebrated. “I hate remembering that. Maybe I should…”
“I don’t recommend that choice,” Melissa said meaningfully.
“Oh, yeah. I can just keep putting the reminder in my phone,” Tim agreed.
“Probably smarter,” Tami said with a laugh. “Back to poo business. Is there anyone else you’d like to ask to apply?”
“I apologize for interrupting,” a woman said from the table next to them. “I see your shirts. You have a business that cleans dog waste from yards?”
“I do. Here’s my card.” Tami handed her a shiny business card. “Do you need some help?”
“I actually need a job. I used to work at a dog rescue in town, but the owner passed away and his children don’t share his passion. I’d love to have a chance to work with animals again,” she said.
“It’s not a glamorous job,” Tami warned.
“That’s okay. Neither is cleaning out kennels or picking off ticks.”
Melissa watched Tami nod. The woman had her there. She looked nice. “Do you have any references?”
“Would my supervisor at the rescue be okay for a reference for how I handle dogs? There is also a vet I worked closely with on a few sad cases. I know he would vouch for me,” the woman said enthusiastically.
“I think you need to fill this out,” Tami suggested, drawing an application form from the file folder in front of her.
The woman took it from her with a smile and set it on the table before rummaging through her bag for a pen. “Could I ask how much you pay? I’m not looking for a lot. I just need to pay my rent.”
“Good question. Let me come talk to you and we’ll discuss all the details.” Tami stood up and moved over to the woman’s table.
“It sounds like she would be a good fit,” Tim suggested quietly.
“We’ll have to be careful about saying anything about being Little,” Melissa whispered.
“I don’t know. Did you notice her bag when she rummaged in there for something to write with?”